Dylan riding the big tractor at D Dutchman Dairy on the way back home from Calgary.

Tried something different with the photo to try to make it look retro.

Thoughts?

and 

YES

we did have icecream.

yum

Such concentration.

He said his fire truck..

BROKE DOWN.

he's so cute.

Cheese !!!!!!! While eating cheese

While in Calgary, our nephew's 6th birthday was held at the Cranston community waterpark.

Great facility, but you have to be part of the community association to use it- which kinda sucks.

Because the party was there, they let those of us who don't posses the golden key in too.

(even the riff-raff get in sometimes)

haha.

Dylan LOVED it.

It's a great area for kids.

Dylan adores water... he has no fear....

water directly in the face results in....

LAUGHING !

They had a really cool pinata !

Dylan thought it was pretty neat... although at first I don't think he believed us that he could use a hockey stick to wack it.

Normally wacking things with a hockey stick is a big NO

and results in him getting in trouble.

Yummy birthday cupcakes....

And some rest with Daddy after lots of fun, food and water adventures.

Probably the best/most fun birthday party we've been to.

** special note**

You might be thinking, wow- Tracy is really self absorbed and fixated on her son- where are the pics of the birthday boy and of the other kids??

Well yes, I am fixated on Dylan- thanks for pointing that out...haha

BUT

there are no pics of others for two reasons:

1) others have declined permission to allow me to share photos which I respect

2) I didn't ask others if I could use their pics, so I will not post them without permission.

Tracy

xoxox

While in Calgary we took Dylan a Stampede breakfast- which normally is a lot of fun, unless you take a crabby toddler, which he had turned into that morning.  

Oh well, free pancakes !

We've lived in Kamloops for almost 4 years now.  Anyone who knows me knows that although I wanted to come here, I wasn't quite prepared for what I got, things didn't exactly work out the way I thought/hoped, and I was pretty miserable here.  Well, I should say, I was happy for 6ish months, we bought a house, things fell apart, and I hated it and wanted to move.  BUT the economy was crap, the recession meant we were stuck with a house that we couldn't sell for enough, and Mat had found a job he was learning lots at and really liking.  So I just basically sucked it up, was miserable in "Krap-loops" and was waiting for the time we could move.

Well, long story short, about 8 months ago I was able to shift some of my thinking, and other things have sort of materialized, to allow me to settle here a bit.  So although I still don't love Kamloops, there are some things here that work and have helped me settle.  Well, settle for now.

One of those things is crafting.  Since my shift into settling here a bit, I've started to make the house more of a home with unique character pieces.  It makes me happy to re-purpose things, to make things pretty, and contribute positively to our home environment.  So take a look at my before....a lovely retro buffet that my neighbours passed on....

And my after....

Yes it was a shiny wood...but bonding primer, and a mouse sander are a girl's best friends !!

Ignore the glare, it was a quick photo- but it's a grey/blue that sits in my dining room !  I love the purple/grey damask.  I'm pleased with it... thoughts ??

Tracy
xoxo

YOU MUST.....

go see what I'm working on over at


                                     www.cherryblissphotography.blogspot.ca

In the same vein as my last post- I convinced Mat that we should go to the stampede on kid's day.

It's free if you get there before 9 am, and bring your kid, or a kid you are able to borrow.  Luckily for us- we have a child.

Score !!!

Through the gate no problem !

Hardly a line?

Free breakfast- no line !

 It started to spit a bit of rain.... not a biggie, we have the stroller cover....

 Made friends with some animals.....

I personally LOVE horse noses....

And then... 

the sky turned

an awful shade of

blue

black

grey

And the sky opened up and poured and poured and poured....

as I waited in line outside

YES.

O.U.T.S.I.D.E

for tickets to the superdogs.

Mat bought us cheapy ponchos that look like garbage bags.

And we stood in the line.  

Getting soaked.

There are no photos- too stressed, drenched and worried about my camera.

But in the end, we did do some fun things...

We walked and walked and

walked....

 We rested our newly pedicured feet.

And we took our tired boy home after lunch.

Mat and I returned later in the evening for some adult fun.

Mmmm... Poutine.

SCORE !!!!

We've been watching the extreme couponing show on TLC, and Mat is really into it... more so then me.

I do have to admit, it's fun to get a good bargain.  So, while in Calgary we stumbled upon cereal for $1.00.

NO FREAKING WAY !!!!

uh-huh!!!!!

Stock pile !!!

And YES, we had to display our score !

Couponing Nerds

The little man started soccer right before our holiday started.  He hadn't been feeling well, and so he was a bit off.  It also didn't help that another child shouted at him- got right in his face and yelled when Dylan went near the net.

Other child's "wonderful attentive" father was busy on his cell phone- too busy or too oblivious to address the issue.

Thanks dad of the year, appreciate that.

I did hear him later explaining on his phone that his son was acting like a typical only child, not listening, being egocentric and rude.  I take offense to that- Dyl is an only child- and that other child's behaviour is a function of his upbringing- NOT his status as a single child.  Anyway...it was really neat to see Dylan participate.

 I did decide however that Dyl will NOT be attending play school in September.  I had been tossing it around, but have decided that I'm not ready to send him anywhere without me.  He's still a little guy.  He's just 2 1/2.

I did also learn that as much as I love seeing him participate in activities- I have a major issue letting the control of the situation go. I want to make sure he's protected.  I want to make sure people speak to him in a way that I approve of.

I want to be there to address any issues right away.

Now I know what you're thinking... over protective mother.

Maybe.

BUT, I'm also a social worker with lots of kid experience and know what big bad things can come his way, AND know the life long potential ramifications of them.

It will get easier once he's older.

I'll be able to let go a bit.

But not just yet.

For now he still needs us.

But this half of the "us" won't be able to be there.

Mat and Dylan will be going to soccer without me.

I'll be working Wednesday nights, so they are on their own, which is fine.  No worries there.

But I can't see everything that's happening.

And for a mommy who is rarely not with her boy, that's hard.

But I'm also really proud of my little big man.

He's a sweet sweet boy who is turning into a wonderful little guy.

Hey there !


Back from our vaycay in the big city.  Jumped right back into the busyness here - photos to edit from shoots in Calgary- started back to work 2 afternoons a week, and just other "stuff".  Soooo.... it'll be a bit until I get caught up well enough to blog.


BUT until then, head over to my photography blog and check out some of my current sessions.  Slowly chipping away at getting those images ready for clients- and then I can play with my fun photos.  Got lots of photos and stories to share....


http://cherryblissphotography.blogspot.com/

Did you click the link???  

Something old Part 1

Ohhhh-- the best laid plans ! 

 I had a series of posts all titled something old, along with a post about Dylan's first soccer class all planned out.  

But a very helpful husband of mine packed my camera and took it in his truck this morning !  

Sorry kids... I've got nothing to entertain you with while i'm gone...

Blame Matthew

(maybe, just maybe i'll be able to scoot on while I'm away to blog- no promises !)

We are headed to Calgary, to visit the grandparents- to have a mini vacation, to maybe take Dylan camping for the first time, and to indulge in some stampede fun.  Can I get a 

Yee-Haw?

(random pigging out picture- which we will likely do at the stampede)

Posts will be few and far between, while we are gone, but I promise lots of great photos when we return !

Tracy

xoxo

Cherries !

The cherries were ready, but since I was sick I didn't help pick them.   Instead, Dylan was involved in the action this year.  He thought it was awesome- so much fun.

Now before you comment about our boy being unsafe on the ladder... I must let you know, we did have him read the safety instructions first.  haha.

(he's fine- really)

And finally he got tired of me taking his picture... so posed for this one, which basically says... get the * beep beep * away from me with that camera already !

END OF PHOTOS.

Now that Canada Post is no longer on strike- the mail has been flooding in.  We've been getting anniversary cards 

(our forth was June 18th- and we've been together 7 years now) 

 *hint- this is pertinent info for later.  

Anyway, we also got an envelope yesterday from the UK - addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Matt Cook.  

It was typed, which I thought was kinda of weird....so I opened it.

It was a wedding invitation.  

One of Mat's friends has upcoming nuptials   

Nice.

Good for them.

How lovely that they thought of us.

Sweet.

I scanned it and removed some of the info so a bunch of people don't show up at their wedding as gate crashers- but, here was the lovely wedding invite.

Thanks for thinking of us....

Again, thanks for thinking of us...

BUT

WHO THE EFF IS DEBBIE ??????

haha

wordless wednesday

We celebrated Dylan's half birthday without a lot of fan fair this year.  It's been a tradition in our house to celebrate half birthdays for Dyl since he's born just after Christmas   

Everyone knows Dylan L O V E S  sushi.

So this year I made candy sushi, and it was a hit.

We took it over to a friend's house and had a lovely dinner.

Followed by naked sprinkler running.

By the two year olds.

They ran in the sprinkler in all their glory... fell in the sand/dirt, and then climbed up the climber and slid down the slide- all in the buff.

It was so cute, so fun, and just really a good example of creating good childhood memories.

The mom of the other nuddie said the same thing.  

Good childhood memories.

The dirt washed off,
the redness from the slide on Dyl's tushie faded

but we hope the memories won't...

Great times.

You might be wondering what's with this....

on every recent picture?

Well, as you know, my photography business is 

Cherry Bliss Photography

www.cherryblissphotography.ca

http://cherryblissphotography.blogspot.com

If you haven't been to my website or my blog, please go.

So the watermark on the pics is added protection.

Once something is out there on the web, it can be used for different purposes.  By adding the logo on my images, it helps cut down on the chance that someone will steal my images and use them in a way I don't want.  So that's why you see it front and center on pics.

Us- circa 2008 in Mexico... is the logo a bit of overkill?

While I'm goofing around....and looking at Mexico pics, AND because it's my blog and I can do what I want....

 here is the next James Bond... I for sure need to protect this photo.... lovin the pose !

<sigh> 

 I think I need a tropical holiday

 (back then we had a crappy camera.. can you tell?)

Very cute.  

:)

Me- the last two days....

Sick... laying on the couch with a face cloth on my head.

Blech

me and my Dyl